Almost any works involving a physical change to your church building, its contents or to the churchyard will require Faculty permission. This gives you authorisation to carry out the work and is part of the Church of England’s own system of building control, which is called the Faculty Jurisdiction. This system ensures that church buildings are properly cared for and that whatever is done to them is properly considered beforehand and carried out in the most appropriate way. It also takes the place of Listed Building Consent normally required for secular listed buildings.
Levels of Permission
Many smaller works to a church building not involving changes do not require Faculty permission. Lists of types of works to church buildings that do not require Faculty consent were created in 2016. Works that fall under List A do not require permission, while works under List B require the written consent of the Archdeacon who consults with the DAC.
List A and List B were revised and expanded from 1 July 2022. A copy of the updated Lists can be found here.
Online Faculty System
All applications for Faculty and List B permission need to be made through the Online Faculty System (OFS). It is also useful to log any List A works carried out on this system although they do not require permission. If you have not used the OFS before you will need to register a user account before you can submit an application.
A link to the Online Faculty System can be found here.
If you have any questions about applying for Faculty or List B permission, please contact our Care of Churches Officer.